An Oxford Policeman's Lot 1948–1973
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My Story Alan C Dent AN OXFORD POLICEMAN’S LOT 1948–1973 The following is a brief history of my service as a police officer in the Oxford City Police, Cyprus Police (UK) Unit, and Thames Valley Police over a period of 25 years. I have not kept a diary: therefore everything written here is almost entirely from memory. Events will not have occurred in chronological order and I have put similar related events together. Oxford 45 years ago was quite a lot different from what it is today. I have therefore decided to give a brief description of Oxford and its citizens in 1948, when I commenced my career as a Constable in the Oxford City Police. The first thing that I think would strike anyone who looked at a map of the City of Oxford and its surroundings in 1948 is the fact that the ring road round Oxford did not exist. There was the Southern by-pass which during the war was used as an ammunition dump and had a battery of anti-aircraft guns located there. There was also the Northern by-pass which was in use for traffic. This was a three-lane road. The middle lane was for vehicles to overtake and this was the cause of many fatal and serious accidents. All vehicles travelling North to South came down the Woodstock or Banbury Roads through the City centre, over the narrow Red Bridge at the bottom of the Abingdon Road, to Hinksey Hill and through the centre of Abingdon. Traffic travelling to Swindon in the West came along the old A40, through Headington through the City Centre and up Cumnor Hill. There was no Cumnor by-pass at that time. There was no Donnington Bridge or road. You could walk or cycle over the weirs at Weirs Lane to the Donnington footbridge. Cyclists were banned from using this; many did and were prosecuted. The far side of the bridge was Donnington Lane, later renamed Donnington Bridge Road when the road bridge was built. The Marston Ferry Link Road did not exist. The only link between North Oxford and Marston was a footpath which led from the Oxford City and County Bowls Club in Marston Ferry Road to a ferry across the River Cherwell by the Victoria Arms public house. In the centre of Oxford, Cornmarket Street was paved with rubber blocks. I understood that this was an experiment to stop the effect of traffic vibration damaging the old buildings. Just a shower of rain would cause many accidents on what became a slippery surface. Page 1 of 98 My Story Alan C Dent Another big alteration today is the bus station at Gloucester Green. In 1948 one half of this area was a public car park surrounded by a wire fence. This was entered at the Gloucester Green end. In the middle of the Green was a café with adjoining public toilets. I believe the toilets were originally the City Mortuary. At one side of the café was a coach booking office. Between the café and wire compound of the car park was a wide roadway in which coaches used to come in and pick up their passengers. On the opposite side of the café was the main bus station with its covered parking bays for country buses. These were usually single-deckers. Most buses in those days had conductors, or conductresses who were known as ‘clippies’. The entrance to Gloucester Green from New Road was via Worcester Street which was a narrow winding road which went over a hump back bridge over the Oxford Canal where Nuffield College now stands. Entry to the Green was via Dispensary Road past the old Dispensary. Behind this was the Greyhound public house. Just behind this was the ‘One Way’ exit from the bus station. Near this on the far side of Gloucester Green from the Ritz Cinema was a waiting room for bus passengers which used to be an old school building. The rest of the side of the Green consisted of very old buildings including a garage and the Hole in the Wall Café. At the side of the Ritz Cinema were the St John Ambulance Headquarters, Fire Station, the Welsh Pony public house and some old houses. Before the War, council housing estates had been built at Wolvercote, Marston, Rose Hill and Cutteslowe. With regard to the latter, roads were built connecting with Wentworth and Carlton Roads, which were on a private housing estate and led through to the Banbury Road. Due to objections from private residents, walls were built across both roads, sealing them off from the Cutteslowe Estate. These became known as The Cutteslowe Walls. During the War some council residents persuaded the crew of a Canadian Army tank to knock down one of the walls. I cannot remember the full story, but it was rebuilt and was the object of bitter argument for many years until both walls were eventually removed in 1959. At Rose Hill a council estate was built but the road connecting it to Iffley Village was fenced off near the church. Another road connecting further down the village called Tree Lane has a barrier across it. After the War came the extension of building at Rose Hill Estate. Mainly at first with prefabricated houses and also similar houses were built at the village of Barton at Headington, which became Barton Estate. The first type of prefabs as they came to be called were made of aluminium in a factory and then transported and assembled on to a prepared base with water, sewage and Page 2 of 98 My Story Alan C Dent electricity supplies etc. I quote a rhyme which was popular in those days ‘Living in a jungle, living in a tent, better than a prefab, no rent’. At New Marston there was a council estate and this was joined by Northway Estate. Also built were Town Furze, Wood Farm, Cowley Airfield and then Blackbird Leys Estates. I worked at Morris Motors during the War on War Production. On one side of the Works was open countryside; this was turned into an airfield. Spitfires, Hurricanes and Tiger Moths were repaired and test flown daily. I can remember that one pilot was killed at Boars Hill when his Spitfire crashed. The Barracks of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were in Hollow Way and a short distance up the road in The Slade was Slade Camp, which was a large area of wooden huts around a parade ground. After the War this site was given to the City Council and was used to house the homeless. Gypsies also moved on to the site and for many years there was considerable friction, very often leading to violence. I cannot remember in which year the demolition of St Ebbe’s, The Friars and St Thomas’s began, together with the re-housing of their occupants. These large communities in the middle of Oxford, with many years of friendships and a whole way of life, were split up and moved into these new council estates as the houses were built. They were moving from very old houses into new housing stock, which was a great improvement. However, because of the piecemeal movement of people, this led to a great deal of loneliness and unhappiness. There is no doubt, however, that by destroying all these houses and altering the whole of that area the Council prevented any so-called Inner-City problems arising in Oxford, as has happened in so many other cities. I believe there were 800 houses and 30 public houses in The Friars, which should give some idea of the movement of people. With the War ending, everyone thought how marvellous things would be. How wrong they were. The country was bankrupt and relying mainly on the United States of America for aid under Lease Lend etc. Rationing continued until 1953–4. Coal supplies were short and virtually everyone had a coal fire. The Army, Navy and Air Force were not immediately demobilised. Servicemen were demobilised in groups, as others were conscripted to fill their place. The result was that it was some time after the War that all those who had been conscripted and had been in action were released. As there was a shortage of male labour in various jobs during the War these had been taken by women, many of them married. As the servicemen returned home expecting to resume life where they left off, in many cases they were deeply disappointed. Women wanted to continue their new-found freedom and didn’t want to be tied to the kitchen sink. Many had had affairs, very often with servicemen from foreign countries, which was difficult to keep quiet with neighbours and families. Probably the worst off were the returned Prisoners of War, Page 3 of 98 My Story Alan C Dent particularly those who had been taken by the Japanese and badly ill-treated. These men came home with little or no counselling and there were enormous problems with lots of families. I have mentioned these social problems because, walking around our beat, we would often be approached by people for advice and we became a form of Marriage Guidance Counsellor, Citizens Advice-cum-Welfare Officer. Apart from giving out advice to the best of our ability, we were often called to domestic disputes between husbands and wives, which could become very violent. We just had to use our experience, which we gained daily in the job, and common sense. At this time there became two different groups of what was called the working class.